In a world, where every four years, 32 nations gather to determine a champion, only one team can hoist the World Cup trophy. [Cue the massive explosions.]
With apologies to "Iron Man 2," "Twilight" and whatever other blockbusters are headed to theaters this summer, none of them can compare to the most dramatic event of 2010: The World Cup. The World Cup, in addition to being the only truly world championship outside of the Olympic Games, is the only tournament capable of providing the full range of human emotion: Anger, awe, boredom, depression, disgust, embarrassment, euphoria, frustration, guilt, misery, pride, rage and surprise. The best screenwriters couldn't script some of those things. To get you ready for the drama that will start unfolding on June 11 in South Africa, The Star and The Full 90 will introduce you to the teams, the key performers, what to look for and what to expect in this year's Cup.Today, we kick off the Group of Maximum Anglo-Attention: Group C. Starting with the team we know the least about...Slovenia
Group CTHE BASICS• Nickname: Zmajeceki (Dragons)
• Colors: White, green and yellow
• FIFA Ranking: 23
• How They Got Here: Finished second in a European qualifying group (above the Czech Republic and Poland, below Slovakia); beat Russia 2-2 on away goals ina two-leg playoff.
• World Cup Pedigree: 1 World Cup ('02) as Slovenia, eliminated in group stage; 8 World Cups ('30, '50, '54, '58, '62, '74, '82, '90) as part of Yugoslavia. THE PLOT
Can a team that no one knows anything about from a country that no one knows how to find on a map shock the world? And, in the process, prove to their fellow ex-Yugoslavian brethern that the unwrittten rule allowing no more than a handful of Slovenians on the Yugoslavian national team was misguided and wrong?THE DIRECTOR
Matjaz Kek
Kek is a former defender and his management-style shows it. He's strong on organization and defense, and, as a result, his teams are very difficult to break down. They only allowed four goals in 10 qualifying games. (Only the Netherlands, 2, allowed fewer in Europe.) LEADING MAN
Bostjan Cesar
The solid and dependable defender makes his money playing for Grenoble in France. He led the relegated French side in yellow cards. SUPPORTING CAST
Milivoje Novakovic (forward, Cologne) started all but one of the qualifying games, scoring five goals; Robert Koren (midfield, West Brom) is the team's playmaker and will initiate most attacking moves; Valter Birsa (midfield/foward Auxerre) was the team's youngest player (23) in qualifying and will probably see the field as a sub when they need a goal; Miso Brecko (defender, Cologne) can be defined in one word: solid.LIKELY BREAKOUT STAR
Rene Krhin
The 20-year-old Inter Milan attacking midfielder was added to the preliminary World Cup roster and is considered the best hope for Slovenia's future. THE LIKELY VILLAIN
Ceser
Has already vowed to make this World Cup an "unpleasant experience" for England. He has targeted England's Wayne Rooney, who he blames for an injury suffered when playing for West Bromwich Albion.
PRODUCTION NOTESA tight 4-4-2 that sits back and dares you to get through them. Like Algeria, they will often have only two players looking toward goal. WHAT THEY'LL WEAR
"Taken"
An unheralded movie that was released under the radar that's not really spectacular or breath-taking, but it's effective, well made and more enjoyable than you think it should be. TRAILER
Gotta love anytime someone breaks out the Queen tribute video...DO WHAT YOU WILL WITH THIS...
With only about 2 million people, Slovenia is the smallest country in this year's tournament. CRITICAL BLURBS
This is a solid defensive-minded team that allowed the second-fewest goals in European qualification. ... They went 6-2-2 in a group that featured Slovakia, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Poland. Then pipped a goal in Russia and shut up shop at home to knock Russia out of the Cup. This team is for real. ... Goals, however, will be hard to come by. The Dragons very closely resemble the Greeks. Both have the best nicknames in the tournament. ... They just don't have the firepower to make a real strong showing this time. ... Best-case scenario? Sneaking into the second-round ahead of the United States. ... Realistic prediction? Picking up a single victory, 1-0, over Algeria but not scoring in any other game. POSSIBLE HOLLYWOOD MOMENT
Friday, June 18. After 90 minutes of frustrating the more athletic and faster Yanks, the final whistle blows on a 1-1 draw. Slovenia already beat Algeria and now sit in a really good position for inclusion in the next round. But more important than that: In less than a calendar year, Slovenia eliminated Russia from the World Cup and seriously dented the chances of the world's other Super Power.
Group A: South Africa, Uruguay, Mexico, France
Group B: South Korea, Greece, Nigeria, Argentina
Group C: Algeria, Slovenia, USA, England
Group D: Serbia, Australia, Ghana, Germany
Group E: Japan, Cameroon, Denmark, Netherlands
Group F: New Zealand, Slovakia, Paraguay, Italy
Group G: North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal, Brazil
Group H: Honduras, Chile, Switzerland, Spain
Sources: World Cup 2010 (by Steven D. Stark and Harrison Stark); ESPN and Soccernet.com; FIFA; CIA Factbook
